Unprofitable Home Defense, 7

Continued from "Unprofitable Home Defense, 6"

What shall it profit a man if he defend his child from all physical danger, yet lose that child's soul?

No, the Bible does not say that in so many words, but it has many choice words to say about a believing parent's responsibility to rear up godly children. And I have been trying to show in this series that putting a child into the public school system is detrimental to that Biblical goal.

In spite of my efforts, there will always be those who cannot or will not see. For example, someone has recently admonished me and described my position regarding education as "unwise and potentially harmful of the Christian liberty of parents . . . ."

It would seem that parents have the God-given right to enroll their children in a program of godless indoctrination.

Let's look at the question of "Christian liberty" from a purely physical perspective. Say that you go with your friend to pick up his child at a day care center. (Why the child is in day care rather than at home is another issue, but for the sake of argument, let's just say it's this way.)

As you go in with your friend, you notice the strong smell of feces as children play on a filthy carpet. Exposed electrical wires protrude from a wall not far from the corner where you spy rodent droppings. Asbestos insulation lies fallen under exposed heat pipes within the reach of children, and you suspect that the old paint flaking from woodwork may be lead-based.

Your friend seems oblivious to the dangers. So, do you warn him, or do you keep your mouth shut  rather than say something potentially harmful to his Christian liberty as a parent?

It seems to me that a parent who loved his child and simply did not know of the dangers would want you to warn him. A parent who disregards or takes offense at your warning either does not love his child or lives in a state of denial.

A child's spiritual well-being is no less important than his physical welfare.

Introducing Christian parental liberty into the equation only serves to obfuscate the real issue: Christian parental responsibility.

Continued here